GAROWE, Somalia Apr 192008 - Muslim clerics in the northern Somali region of Puntland met on Saturday in the regional capital Garowe to discuss rising insecurity, the impacts of the drought and hyperinflation on the local economy.

The conference held at the Garowe local government headquarters was attended by more than 100 people, including Islamic preachers, traditional elders, the business community and intellectuals.

Last week, the sheikhs distributed food aid to tens of families affected by
hyperinflation and the enduring affects of the drought.

On Saturday, Sheikh Abdulkadir and fellow preachers proposed that a citizen-oriented council be established to deal with security issues. Further, the council would be tasked with the creation of a private security force to patrol the streets of Garowe, the capital of Puntland.

According to the proposal, the funds necessary to implement the private security force would be shared between the business community, the Garowe municipal government and the Diaspora community.

One of the Islamic preachers who addressed the conference said the community has "given up" on the Puntland government and its public role.

The meeting's speakers called for an immediate halt to the continued minting of false Somali Shillings, an illegal practice that is reported to take place in Puntland towns.

Sultan Said Mohamed Garase, a Garowe clan elder, spoke at length about local issues and condemned pirate attacks along Somalia's coast.

It is not clear what the government of Puntland plans to do if the local community is allowed to establish a private security force.

But critics said the Puntland administration has failed to secure the capital city and other major towns, giving locals little choice but to take matters into their own hands.